Design Innovation · Planning & Implementation · Research & Strategy
Re-imagining
Sustainable
Farm Practices
Role
User Researcher
Business Strategist
Visual Lead
Skills
Design thinking
Design management
Trend analysis
Roadmapping
Market research
Storytelling
Duration
10 weeks
The Context
Urban communities grapple with a food security crisis, marked by limited access to fresh produce, rising costs of healthy food, and a lack of sustainable farming knowledge, which has fostered an unsustainable reliance on distant suppliers.
Opportunity
Leverage user research with business frameworks to explore urban farmingsystems and strengthen local food systems
Problem Statement
How might we empower local growers and consumers to build sustainable, self-sufficient food systems while addressing food deserts and community engagement challenges?
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Urban communities face the challenge of limited availability fresh, local, sustainable food.
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This pushes for a reliance on distant suppliers, resulting in inefficient distribution and environmental.
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With 40% of urban residents lacking convenient access to fresh produce, and rising food prices making healthy options less affordable, the disconnection between people and local food sources undermines both sustainability and community resilience.
USDA's 2022 food access report, AgEcon, foodwise.org, formerly CUESA
Transform every urban community into a thriving food oasis, making fresh, locally grown produce accessible to all and strengthening resilient local food systems through direct, sustainable participation
Current State
Vision
TLDR; FarmFolio's Offerings
FarmFolio tackles these challenges through a three-pronged approach combining technology, community engagement, and sustainable agriculture. Our SubStock Model enables community members to pre-purchase future harvests, ensuring stable income for farmers and affordable produce for residents. The Farm Buddy Program develops urban farming entrepreneurs as growers and mentors, while our Educational Partnerships provide essential training and resources. Together, these initiatives create a scalable solution that strengthens with every new community member.
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Research approach
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Scope market
Identity Users
User
Research
Synthesis
of data
Analysis
of data
Concept
creatiion
Testing
with users
Core Problem
Despite increasing awareness of the importance of fresh local food, 23.5 million American urban residents, struggle to access it due to economic challenges and geographical limitations. Reliance on long-distance food transportation inflates costs and harms the environment.
So, we spoke to real people
and discovered 3 distinct archetypes shaping our urban food landscape...
What's really stopping them from buying local?
Inconsistent fresh produce availability
Difficult to access due to transport issues
Limited selection at the local store
77%
were curious about buying local produce but were limited by the lack of knowledge
76%
felt the lack of knowledge hindered their decision to grow their own food*
64%
said high prices limited their purchase of local produce
n=115
* time was a barrier to growing own produce as well
From our user stories emerged the following findings
Consumers prioritize quality and freshness but also COST
There is an opportunity to create a multi-channel system connecting consumers directly with farmers and thereby reduce costs, improve freshness and quality
HMW create seamless farm-to-table connections that preserve the human relationship between growers and consumers?
30% of our survey respondents said they always or most of the times research the quality of the fresh produce they buy
The journey from environmental awareness to execution is unclear
There is an opportunity to guide users from asking "How do we?" to asserting that, "This is how we do it"
HMW empower people to become confident experts who can guide others on their journey to sustainability?
We learned that people want to make sustainable choices but often lack the practical knowledge or convenient options to do so consistently
"Local" is defined by connection to the source
The local logic gap prevents efficient connections between consumers and local producers. Closing this gap would make supporting local sourcing both easier and more cost-effective.
HMW enhance sustainability through direct producer-consumer transactions?
HMW promote the purchase of locally produced goods to be cost-effective?
77.4% of our survey respondents said they are interested or somehow interested in purchasing local fresh products, but high costs limit them to purchase those items
A service that onboards local sellers who grow fresh, sustainable produce in or near urban areas, connects them with local-conscious buyers and fosters a mutually fulfilling ecosystem that promotes high-quality food access and supports local agriculture
Introducing
How FarmFolio works
Splitting our archetypes into 2 distinct user groups
FarmFolio from Anna (the buyer) & Alex's (the grower) perspective
Anna the Buyer
SubStock is a hybrid subscription-investment feature where buyers prepay for fresh produce, ensuring priority access and supporting local farmers. Buyers also receive extra produce during bumper crops, enhancing the value of their investment.
FarmFolio Customer
Alex the FarmBuddy
FarmFolio Customer
A Farm Buddy is a neighborhood initiative empowering individuals to grow and sell produce from their urban plots to Farmfolio stores, fostering sustainable agriculture and enhancing community income potential.
Why folks would want to use Farmfolio
Regular access to local fresh produce
Centralized access to locally grown produce
all in one place
Access to a wider
customer base
A space to sell grown produce and build a customer base
More profits = more growers = more produce = reduced costs
Our competitive edge: breaking away from the pack
Finding our blue ocean advantage by...
Pushing for
start-to-end sustainability
Create an
embedded everyday habit
Broader accessibility,
in food deserts
BTS from our user testing
To validate our concept, we used storyboards and conducted a ‘buy-a-feature’ prioritization exercise with users at the local farmers market
What they said + how we incorporated feedback
Buyers favor store accessibility for fresh produce purchases
Quality and price drive buyers' purchase of Farm Buddy produce
The core motivator to become
a grower is community growth
followed by additional income
Having that 'daily space' to sell produce is crucial
Impact & value - the so what?
What's next?
Seedling
Growth Spurt
Full Bloom
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Trade or swap seeds/plants/crops
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Launch mentor program
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Advanced SubStock features
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Community event series
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City-wide implementation
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Full certification program
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Corporate partnerships
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National expansion planning
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Launch in 2-3 pilot neighborhoods
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Build initial user base of 100-200 users
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Establish 10-15 Farm Buddies
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Basic free SubStock functionality
My learnings & reflection
This project has been incredibly rewarding, and to fully understand it, I highly recommend exploring our detailed and fascinating process book, available here!
This project gave me the chance to explore the intersection of design and business. Food and sustainability are topics close to my heart, and working on a start-up simulation to research and ideate solutions was on my to-do list. One of the most valuable takeaways from this class has been learning timeless business frameworks that I can apply in my future roles.
